


Finding a New Way

by JettyJay



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, AU where Papillon uses people's perceptions instead of emotions, Bread, Cuties, F/M, Gen, Happy Ending, Marichat, Marinette is allowed to have bad feelings, Master Fu salt, Mentions of Guardians - Freeform, Past Ladybug references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-10-17 16:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20624123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JettyJay/pseuds/JettyJay
Summary: In this AU where Akumas target negative perceptions thrust upon people instead of negative emotions, Marinette attempts to make croissants after a frustrating day with little outlet to deal with her dual lives.





	1. Bread Instead of Croissants

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, this is my first time writing ML fanfic, and my first time writing any prose that wasn't intended for a comic book script after many years - so please do provide feedback, it's greatly appreciated. Also I do intend for this to be a Marichat fic, I just didn't actually find a place to include it in this chapter. With that said, I don't have an overarching plot in mind yet, just some ideas that I'm interested to follow. I hope you're happy to follow with me.
> 
> Title is a working one, we'll see how it evolves as I go.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When life gives you overworked dough, there are other options.

A cloud of flour wafted up around Marinette’s face as she tossed the dough onto the counter and stretched it away from her with the heel of the palm. Designing outfits was usually her chosen meditation, but today kneading was er… needed.

“Damn…” a ‘flomf’ sound came from the dough as she folded it over the top, masking her quiet muttering.

“Stupid…” the texture of the dough under her wrist as she stretched it out away seemed to melt under the force of her frustration.

“… _ Butterflies! _ “ Another plume of flour rose into the air as she slammed the dough onto the counter once more.

“Marinette, are you trying to work that dough or murder it?” the voice of her father made Marinette start back and raise two doughy, flour-covered hands in surprise, powder blue eyes open wide. Tom Dupain placed a container on the shelf before coming over to inspect the massacre on the counter. “I think you might have overworked that.”

“Sorry Papa, I know I offered to make help you out but…”

“You have something else on your mind?” Marinette gave a resigned nod in response to Tom’s raised eyebrows. He picked up the dough into a ball and looked it over. “I find working dough relaxing too. It’s fine to have overworked it if that’s what will help you right now. Anyway, this should still be fine for bread. Just a bit too much fight in it to be the croissants I was hoping to make.”

He picked up a nearby glass bowl, put the dough inside and snapped on a lid. “Do you need to talk about anything?”

Marinette sighed and bit her lip, looking from Tom to the dough and Tom again She was good at thinking on her feet usually, but the complications of the situation she’d found herself in were beyond even her. Instead, she picked up the bowl and crouched down to open a drawer. “Thanks. It’s not something I want to talk about really. But I should go chill out while this proves if it’s going to be bread.” 

“Hmm...“ Tom drummed his fingers on the bench “Do you think chilling out could involve… Battling robots?”

Marinette snapped the proving drawer shut, leaving her beaten dough to rise in cosy darkness. She smiled with a twinkle in her eye “I think it might be better to beat your bot into the street than some dough on the bench - you’re on!”

* * *

The dough didn’t deserve the abuse it got, not really, but you could hardly blame a pent-up teenager with the expectations of an entire capital city on her shoulders for taking out what had happened that day on some yeast and flour. Besides, the loaf-that-was-supposed-to-be-croissants had turned out OK, all things considered.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had been balancing the responsibility of being the hero of Paris with being a regular workaholic highschooler for almost a year now, and if there was one thing she knew about it right now was that it  _ sucked _ .

“No, it doesn’t. Not really. I’m sorry, Tikki, it’s just been… A lot” 

“You don’t have to apologise for how you feel Marinette,” in the lamplight that shone down on Marinette’s bed where the teenager had flopped down for the day, a small red Kwami hovered over her chosen hero and patted her head gently. “You have a hard job to do, and it’s not one you asked for. The important thing is that we make sure you can take care of yourself, which…"

Tikki rested with the weight of all her disappointment onto Marinette’s pillow, “...Is really hard when I’m really the only person you can speak to about everything that goes on for you.”

Marinette moved her head to look up at her magical guardian. “How did the other Ladybugs handle this?”

“Most of them were older than you and could dedicate themselves to living as a hero. The ones who were around your age lived in simpler times. And the Order of Guardians was able to take care of all of them,” Tikki’s face was mostly eyes, and right now they looked tired. It was one of the few moments where Marinette truly saw how many thousands of years old the tiny creature was. “Marinette, there’s never been a Ladybug with such a huge amount of pressure and so little support. Sometimes I really fear that Master Fu is not well suited for the position he holds. I’ve felt that way since I found out he was wielding the Turtle Miraculous.”

“You mean I shouldn’t even  _ be  _ Ladybug?”

Tikki’s flew back up off the pillow, coming in close to hug Marinette’s cheek again. “No, no, no! You and Chat are the two decisions he’s made that I don’t disagree with. You’re not just the hardest-working Ladybug, you’re the best!” 

Marinette giggled despite her bad mood, and put her hands around Tikki, “Well, you’re the best Kwami a Ladybug could ask for.”

* * *

There were two other differences between Marinette and the other Ladybugs that Tikki hadn’t mentioned. 

The first was the reason for their presence. While Ladybugs had been around for disasters, periods of civil unrest and times of great change in the world, very few were dealing with other Miraculous Wielders - not without the help of the Guardians who had originally selected the rogue Wielder, and knew their weaknesses, anyway. For this new Papillon to be so completely unknown and to have twisted his Miraculous’ powers so thoroughly was unheard of.

The second was the timing. Most Ladybugs only served for a year or so until they were no longer needed and could return to average lives. As much faith as Tikki had in her chosen, this situation felt different. The only Guardian left was as much in the dark as his heroes. Their opponent was endlessly elusive. The Kwami couldn’t see their troubles coming to an end anytime soon and feared that Marinette would be tied to this role indefinitely, always playing clean-up.

Marinette was the best person for Ladybug, Tikki knew that much. But Ladybug being best for Marinette, a girl who should have been pursuing her dream of being a fashion designer, her hobby of baking, and her sweet crush on the friendly boy at school… Well, that was another matter. 

The old ways were gone. The current Guardian, while well-meaning and doing his best, was wildly inappropriate and Tikki assumed his good choices were a lucky coincidence, coming out of some arbitrary tests that paled in comparison to what previous Miraculous Wielders had gone through to prove their worth. There was no one for Ladybug except her Kwami, and Ladybug didn’t even know that was how it might be for the rest of her life.

Having a loaf of bread instead of croissants was the preferable outcome for today.

* * *

Making good croissants involves minimal kneading. The trick is ensuring that once you have rolled out your dough in a rectangle after chilling it, you need a consistently thin layer of butter to be able to reach out to each edge of your dough, no part must be missed. Everything should stay cool as you work to fold the dough and butter into layers, to ensure the butter doesn’t melt into the dough. It’s a process called lamination that gives croissants and similar pastries that lovely flakiness they are known for. 

To get the best quality, bakers will make a fold - or ‘make a turn’ - before putting their dough in the fridge to chill for an hour. Then repeat. And repeat. And repeat.

Finally, they’ll let it rest in the fridge overnight, ready to shape and bake the next day. 

Making good croissants is tedious and precise. Baking is a delicate science at the best of times, and croissants are pastries that can truly test even the most fastidious bakers.

Making good croissants is, in many ways, not at all like fighting an Akuma. It can be relaxing for one thing. It doesn’t tend to involve falling buildings. You can choose when you would like to make good croissants, you don’t  _ have _ to make them in the middle of a conversation where your usually secure and confident best friend is pouring out her worries about her first relationship and her family’s claims that her new boyfriend is ‘trash’ and not ‘good enough’ for her. Though you could if you wanted, actually, and a week from this day of failed croissants when Marinette formulates this analogy, she wishes that they had been in her family’s bakery eating a warm croissant with a coffee instead of at school moments before their classmate exploded out of the principal’s office in a purple, pulsing light.

Fighting an Akuma is, in many ways, exactly like making good croissants. Even if each Akuma is different, the process is repetitive. Wait for Chat Noir. Try to figure out who the Akuma has possessed. Figure out why people were throwing such an ugly perception at them, and what clues that could give to where the Akuma is hiding. Get a Lucky Charm to exploit a weakness. Chat Noir Cataclysms the Akuma from its hiding spot. Purify the Akuma. Throw up the Lucky Charm, so everything is fixed as if it never happened. Transform back and work on changing perceptions to try avoid the same person getting Akumatised again. Live a day or two normally. Then repeat. And repeat. And repeat.

Ladybug does her best to keep cool when she fights an Akuma, but it’s hard when you recognise it’s your good friend - your best friend’s boyfriend - who has turned into a giant garbage can monster. A garbage can monster that is throwing out waste and refuse across the city and making an overpowering smell that has Parisians and the few tourists the city still manages to attract retching in the streets. 

The process she and her trusty partner follow is tedious and precise. Figuring out how to use the pillowcase her Lucky Charm has given her is a delicate science. It’s not the first time she sees Chat Noir tested as he uses her distraction to reveal the Akuma with his Cataclysm, releasing Nino from its grips. 

Everything goes back to normal once the Lucky Charm is in the air, but Ladybug has no idea how to fix what Alya’s family thinks of the young DJ. How could she possibly stop ‘Trashoth’ from appearing again?

_ "Bien joué!" _ the two force smiles as they pound their fists together, like always. Ladybug finds herself cheered by how naturally it comes to Chat - how it’s not entirely forced. He genuinely enjoys being out here with her, even when he too seems somewhat troubled by the latest victim.

It’s a short-lived cheer. Their Miraculouses beep. Their commitment to their Kwamis’ warning of keeping their identities secret calls. There’s no time for relaxing and debriefing, as Ladybug leaps off to safely transform back into Marinette. 

A week from this day of ruined croissants, Marinette corrects her analogy. Fighting an Akuma is truly, completely, nothing like making good croissants. It’s like making bread when you wanted to make croissants.


	2. A Number of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything needs a plan. Sticking to those plans without feeling the depth of its complications catching up with you is another matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks all for the bookmarks, comment and kudos. As before, feedback is more than welcome.

_ Nope. Fighting Akumas isn’t like making good croissants, it’s like making bread when you wanted to make croissants. Aaaand I’m that bread.  _ Marinette thought to herself as Chat Noir cracked open the door of the broom closet, a stripe of light running down as he peeked out. 

She felt her stomach knotting with anxiety as she heard the black-suited hero muttering under his breath. “Has something happened to her?” 

He turned to her and Marinette cursed herself for her inability not to show every small emotion she felt on her face as he gave her a reassuring smile. “No need to worry Princess! Ladybug always shows up,” he gave her that dorky wink that seemed so familiar for reasons she couldn’t place. “I bet we could handle things together if we need to, we’ve done it before, right?”

Ah yes, that time with one of the many villains created by Chloe, after she decided Nathaniel was a pathetic scribbler, and so he became The Scribbler and was as pathetic in his pursuit of Marinette as Chloe dictated. Honestly, it was no wonder that they had thought Ms Bourgeois was Papillon at first. It quickly became apparent, however, that the perceptions that their mysterious opponent made from her tended to be so ridiculous that they could only be powered by the brat herself. They were rarely as strong as other Akumatised foes. 

“Ooooh Chat Noir I know you were so amazing that time,” she said, posing with the exact right amount of gushing adoration to stroke the cat’s overinflated ego. He flicked back his hair in appreciation and Marinette resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I think this one is stronger than The Scribbler though, and he’s not looking to beg me for a date.”

“Hm! His loss, if you ask me. That’s OK, you have a date with a hero instead.” He went to peek out through the ajar cupboard door but was momentarily distracted by the snorting laugh from Marinette, for which she was rewarded a smug grin with a raised eyebrow. 

As Chat Noir turned back to the door, Marinette realised that just for a moment that feeling of having a thousand flying beetles flying buzzing around her head and threatening to explode out of her had subsided for that moment. It wasn’t something she was used to in a high-stress situation like this. What a pleasant surprise.

This relief could only be temporary, though. Marinette couldn’t spend the day joking around with Chat Noir, and even if she did help him without powers, Paris needed Ladybug to take care of the Akuma. “We lost him then?”

“Mmm-hmm sure looks like it. Backtracking to this closet was good thinking!” 

“I just hope everyone else is OK. I tried to keep us all together, but everyone kind of scattered and three of my classmates weren’t even in the room when Super Joke attacked us,” she squeezed against Chat Noir to look out the crack of the door herself. The silence outside was deafening enough that his heart, although beating at a remarkably calm tempo, was like a booming drum in her ear. She turned her head up towards him. “I’m sure he’ll be going for TVi if he’s not terrorising the school anymore. He was going on about Monsieur Cataldi getting in a proper punchline about Knightowl.”

Chat nodded as he looked down at her, the playful cheer on his face growing ever-so-slightly softer. “Right…" he pulled Marinette back from the door with a light tug on her shoulder. “As much as you make a  _ great _ replacement for Ladybug when it comes to strategy, you are not quite as indestructible. Ladybug did tell me about how cute you are last time, so I don’t think she’d be happy with me if you got hurt, so," - that wink again - “stay here until I come back for you. Just in case Super Joke comes back. Ladybug and I will make sure all your classmates are OK, I promise. I’ll let you know when it’s all over.”

“Oh- uh-” wide-eyed, Marinette desperately grasped for an excuse for why she wouldn’t be in the closet when he came back, but by the time her brain actually caught up to the stammers coming out of her mouth, he had closed the closet behind him and was gone, presumably leaping off towards the TV studio. “Well. OK.”

Marinette exhaled for what seemed a year, interrupted only by the sound of her purse opening and the small touch on her arm from her Kwami. “OK. The list.

  1. Get out of here without Chat figuring out where I came from.
  2. Defeat an Akuma.
  3. Get back here before Chat Noir without him seeing where I’m going. 

We can do that, right?”

“We don’t really have time to worry about that right now.”

“Mmhmm, you’re right. Really Tikki, it would be easier if I could just trust each other but...” 

“...You  _ have  _ to keep your identity secret. It’s the rules from -” Tikki started off strict and determined, but noticeably drifted in her tone as she continued. “-from the Guardians.”

“I know, I know. Too risky if Papillon got us, all that stuff,” Marinette drew up her chest and let out a small puff of confidence. “Tikki,  _ Transform Me! _ ”

* * *

“Bien joué!” Fists were pounded together as Paris reconstructed under the beating wings of thousands of magical ladybugs. Citizens were being released from painful wedgies hanging off high, precarious tree branches - or other various dangerous ‘pranks’ appropriate to a caricature of a pathetic superhero. All caused by Alec Cataldi’s mocking of Monsieur Damocles’ sincere attempt to be a hero like Ladybug and Chat Noir, that the presenter had laughed about to the entirety of his Parisian audience. The Akuma was fuelled by the malicious laughter of thousands upon thousands. This had not been an easy fight.

Chat extended his staff so he could twist his arms over it and rest his head against it. “Ladybug, I made some promises about checking on some of the folks at Collège Françoise Dupont - where Monsieur Damocles here is from. Do you think I can leave you to take care of him so I can go ahead and check on everyone?” 

“No!”

Both Chat and the exhausted and ashamed school principal blinked at the superheroine’s outburst.

“Uh! I mean! I’m sorry! Like I said earlier, I was staking out the TV studio. I really ought to check on everyone there and remind them of policies not to put mean versions of people out there - especially while Papillon is around. I wouldn’t be surprised if Alec gets fired. If-“ her earrings beeped again, a reminder of just how difficult the fight that ended only moments ago had been. Figuring out how to use the piece of paper her Lucky Charm had given her wasn’t easy. She was running on fumes. “If you’re going to the school anyway, could you perhaps take Monsieur Damocles too? Thanks for your help today, and Monsieur Damocles, please know we appreciate your heroism so much and-” - _ beep beep beep! -  _ ”I gotta go!”

Ladybug had flung up her yo-yo to latch onto a nearby chimney and swung off as abruptly as Chat had abandoned Marinette in a cupboard earlier that day. She had barely gotten two blocks over when her earrings blared incessantly for one last time, giving her just enough time to drop behind a dumpster in a secluded alleyway before her costume dissolved, leaving Marinette and Tikki where Ladybug had stood.

Tikki dived into Marinette’s purse for one of the emergency macarons stashed away, “Marinette, I know you want to beat Chat Noir back to where he left you, but if you don’t go to the TV studio, your lies are going to catch up with you!”

“Lies?! It was an excuse, I’m trying to protect my identity because of all the rules and the risks! What was I meant to say? If I told the truth, I’d have to break the rules. If I said nothing and just left, he’d know something was up.”

Tikki paused, shuffled back down into Marinette’s purse and then munched on her macaron without a word.

“Tikki, please eat fast!”

“Sorry Marinette, of course,” the Kwami flew back up to meet with Marinette’s eyes, somehow managing to fit her small mouth around the entirety of the rest of the cookie. She swallowed hard and then flew close to her chosen’s face. “We’ll manage something if Chat Noir or Monsieur Damocles find out you didn’t go to the TV Studio. But do you think it will be alright for me to visit Master Fu tonight? Alone?”

Marinette’s face was blank, showing only the creeping panic in her mind as time ticked onwards. She simply nodded.

“Let’s go then. I’m ready!”

A few magic words, a flash of red and black light, and Ladybug flew out from the alleyway towards Collège Françoise Dupont.

* * *

Of course, with her pitstop, there was no way Ladybug was going to have beaten Chat Noir back to the school, even when he was carrying a portly old school principal as he sprung his way across the city. He was slower and more careful than he perhaps usually would be, but he was driven by the promises he had made and found himself giving a bow to Monsieur Damocles at the steps of the school in no time.

So Ladybug found herself in a tight spot on her way back as she had to duck out of sight quickly, lest she been seen by the leather-clad hero pacing on the roof of the school.

“Aaaaah why do you have to be so reliable, Chat?!”

Ladybug took a deep breath to calm herself. She peeked above the rooftop she was hiding behind. Chat was surveying the area around the school. Mentally, she felt completely exhausted today but somehow still managed to do her own survey and quickly formulate a plan - and another ‘excuse’ - to calm her partner’s worries:

  1. Jump down from this rooftop and de-transform.
  2. Write a note to Chat explaining that she’d gone home - sit note in her purse with Tikki and assure her that this bit of extra lying would be fine. 
  3. Take the long way around so it could look like she was approaching the school from the direction of the bakery, get Chat Noir’s attention and tell him that she forgot to put the note down in the right space.

These first three steps of the plan went completely fine, which was extremely convenient because they were the only steps Marinette had. Once face to face with Chat, she was working by the seat of her pants.

“...So I did mean to leave you this note, but I guess I was worried and distracted, so I put it in my bag instead of on the shelf. I’m so sorry I worried you Chat!”

“It’s alright. You’re OK, and I’m glad your parents are safe, and they know you’re safe too.” 

Chat’s voice had a cheerfulness to it, but the way he couldn’t quite meet her gaze let Marinette know that everything wasn’t quite as smoothed out as she’d hoped it would have been. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know you thought that I was a great Ladybug stand-in but you gotta know I’m  _ such _ a clumsy airhead, Chat. You should talk to my friend Alya about the number of times I’ve asked her to help me find the phone I was texting her from.”

Chat Noir finally made eye contact with her, one eyebrow raised with the same level of incredulity one would expect if Marinette had just told him she’d given birth to a kangaroo. “No. No one’s that bad - especially not you, Princess. No. Really?”

Marinette blushed with real embarrassment and scratched the back of her head. “Yeeeeah I am. Really.”

Next thing she knew, Chat Noir’s face was only a few centimetres from her own, searching her expression for… Well, she wasn’t sure what, but Marinette stretched her mouth down with confusion as he made his inspection. He scratched his chin before standing up straight once more and shrugging his shoulders. “Hm, I guess not everyone can be as purrfect as Ladybug and me! But - we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Do you have your phone or do you need help finding it?”

“Hey, I don’t lose it  _ all  _ the time! It’s h-!” Marinette whipped out her phone so fast that it flung out of her hand. “Eeek!”

The phone was caught deftly by a clawed, gloved hand. “Ah, I see it now. Not to worry, though." 

He passed it back to her without powering it on, for which Marinette was thankful for. She didn’t want to discuss the picture of her famous crush on her lock screen that she knew he was  _ sure _ to comment on. 

“Thanks - what am I doing with it?”

“Tell me your phone number.”

“Uh… 06…" Marinette cautiously rattled out her phone’s number as Chat pulled out his staff and slid up a section so he could tap out what she dictated. Not a moment later, her phone lit up showing a call number made up with a combination of gibberish symbols - so that’s how their communication devices appeared? The phone call stopped, and a notification for a missed call appeared.

“Save that number, and you can text me instead of leaving a note next time - not that I hope there’s a next time,” his smile widened into a cheeky grin, and Marinette knew that all had been forgiven. “Or you know. You need help finding your phone.”

Marinette attempted to give a glare to Chat but found her face infected with a smile of her own that went some way to undermining the effect. “Don’t you make fun of me!”

Chat Noir chuckled. “I would never! I’m a perfect gentleman!” He retracted his staff and spun it back into the holster on his belt. “Seriously though Marinette, I think you just have lots of things going on all the time, and it's understandable you forget some things. Don’t let people call you airheaded or clumsy - don’t let them get you Akumatised. OK?”

The heartfelt request caught Marinette off guard, and she found herself blushing again. “O-OK. Thanks, Chat"

“No problems! Cat-ch you later!” with a wink and a salute, Chat had his staff out again and was bounding off into the heart of the city.

Tikki checked the coast was clear before drifting up to speak with the still-waving Marinette. “Thank goodness that worked out.”

“Yeah.” She breathed a heavy sigh as she lowered her hand and looked at the small spirit at her side. “You were right though Tikki. These lies are piling up, and I don’t like it… I don’t know what to do about it, though.”

“Leave this one for me, Marinette. Tonight, you deserve a break.”

And so that night while Tikki went to visit the last Guardian, Marinette relaxed in a way she hadn’t in a long time, sewing something without any intention of creating anything in particular. And she had no list of plans at all.


	3. A Floral Arrangement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki speaks with Fu to make some changes. Alya has a plan, and Marinette finds herself in a comprimised position once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this chapter, hopefully the extra length was worth the wait.
> 
> Oh and of course – let me know what you’re thinking of this fic. Stuff you’re liking? Stuff you’re hating?
> 
> Hopefully the last chapter made it clear, this chapter takes place just after The Dark Owl in the ‘canon’ series, this AU’s timeline runs roughly parallel - with one exception, which is that Lila has not yet entered the scene (the book still got to Master Fu, but through different means). 
> 
> As said in the notes of the first chapter, I’m somewhat directionless with this and just following the story where it goes, which is not usually how I would write. We’ll see how it goes, and I hope you will continue on this story with me.

Soft rays of the Saturday morning sunlight crept up across Marinette’s face with a gentle warmth. Her eyes yawned open slowly and fell to where they usually did first thing in the morning - the spot on her bed where Tikki rested. 

The spot had been uncomfortably empty when Marinette had gone to sleep, and it was still empty now. 

The part-time hero rubbed her eyes as she sat up in bed to scan her room. A half-finished shirt she had started sewing last night was the only thing out of place, having slid off its precarious position at the edge of the desk from the weight of a sleeve. But still, it was worth a shot - “Tikki?”

Nothing.

_She was adamant that she wanted to go to Master Fu’s alone, but how can I tell if she’s still there or if she’s in some kind of trouble? What if she got sick on the way back and is stuck? What if she got seen and stolen? What if-_

Marinette’s short movie of terrible situations that the red Kwami could have found herself embroiled in was cut short by the sight of Tikki herself phasing through the wall.

“Tikki! Are you alright? You’ve been out all night!”

“I’m fine, Marinette,” she floated over to her Chosen on the bed, gently touching her cheek before dropping to her usual resting place. “Though I could use something to eat.”

“Let me get something from downstairs for you.”

Marinette rushed down the hatch of her bedroom floor in her PJs, reappearing moments later with a small plate with a few buttery sablé bretons. She snapped one in half, offering it to Tikki “I told my parents I was planning on getting ahead on some studies and I needed some sugar to keep me going,”

“Oh, Marinette, please don’t tell me more about lies you’ve had to tell at the moment,” Tikki said taking the cookie and biting into it lazily.

“Sorry. Now that you’ve been bringing it up, you’re right with how uncomfortable it is,” Marinette flopped back onto her bed next to Tikki, munching on her own half of the cookie without the worry of crumbs. “I don’t want to be a bad person.”

“Don’t think you are bad, even for a second. You’re not lying to benefit yourself; you’ve been lying because you _have _to, even when it makes things more difficult for you,” Tikki sat up, popping a crumb in her mouth, “But that doesn’t make it right. So, we’re going to figure out how you can do less of it.”

Marinette blinked. “_How?!_ I know I’ve complained before, but if Papillon found out who I was then -”

“-Then we would have to figure out how to deal with it. We’re not going to get that far though, not yet anyway.”

As the sun crept up the walls and the small plate of buttery cookies was gradually consumed, Tikki and Marinette discussed how things used to be for Ladybugs, how Master Fu had accepted his inadequacies as a Guardian - something he admitted he had never completed his training for - how the Miraculous holders were really essentially on their own and had to find a new approach to caring for things. 

“So - the first thing that’s going to happen is that Plagg and I are going to bring Chat Noir to finally meet with Monsieur Fu.”

Marinette was still somewhat stunned at how Tikki slipped naturally, with just a hint of smugness, into dropping the ‘Master’ title. 

“This is a lot, Tikki. It will be good that Chat Noir knows about Master Fu and the Miraculous Box but how will that stop me having to lie to everyone?”

“I don’t know yet. We’re taking this once step at a time. But it will get better for you. You deserve more support, Marinette. Both you and Chat Noir do.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” 

A comfortable silence fell like a blanket over the pair as they finished the last of the sablé bretons before Marinette made her lie a truth, and sat at her desk to get ahead on homework.

* * *

Too much had happened since yesterday. It really was something special that Tikki could power on simply with a few cookies given that she went straight from two transformations and then an apparent all-night conference with the last Guardian - or the last human who knew the Guardians, as it turned out. Marinette had enjoyed a full night’s sleep and even after half a plate of cookies, a proper lunch and dinner, she was still feeling mentally exhausted.

Her finger hovered over the ‘send’ button on her phone as she read over the text she had written for what felt like the twentieth time. It wasn’t like the message itself was dangerous, but looking back up at that gibberish collection of symbols that somehow accounted for a phone number, she wondered if she was flirting with unnecessary risk. 

Chat Noir acted dumb at times and tended to follow instinct over logic, but she knew he was sharper than he made out. Anytime she interacted without him out of costume, anytime she gave away about her personal life in costume - even in a small way - she was giving him more opportunity to put two and two together. While she trusted what Tikki had said about dealing with Papillon finding out, it seemed too soon to be thinking about that.

Marinette knew that, but even so she watched as her thumb suddenly and without any hesitation hit ‘send’. Like it was the easiest thing in the world. 

_-Hey, just wanted to check in on you after yesterday. I’m still so sorry I worried you! _😥 _Did you get some good rest in afterwards?_

“_Well now who’s acting on instinct instead of logic, smart girl?”_

That instinct wasn’t really checking in to see that he had gotten enough rest. Well, maybe a bit. It was more about finding out how his meeting with Fu had gone.

It did suddenly occur to her that he probably wouldn’t get the message now if he were in his regular identity. What happened to those messages? Did the Kwamis sense them? She got an answer to this moments later when her screen lit up.

_-mb we should make rules bout u contacting me on this number - i have a little minion who reads ur msg out to me if i’m not transformed lol! no rest for the wicked u kno but i’m fine =^_^= just glad ur ok princess! =(^з^)= -_ _☆_

His Kwami read the message out to him? Did Tikki ever get communications for Ladybug that she didn’t know about? She knew his messages well enough to know he had transformed now to respond himself at least. Unless his Kwami was the one always sending Ladybug texts when she was a little late to the party, or they had split up to take care of an Akuma.

_“Wait maybe the thing I should be worried about here is that he had to transform for no other reason except to respond to my dumbass message" _Marinette dragged her hand down her face. What the hell was she doing?!

_-Sorry! I didn’t mean to make you have to transform just for this!!! Hope even if you’re not resting, you’re having a nice time. _

_-as well as i can livin 2 of my 9 lives at once! U have a nice time 2! Nite princess =~_^=_

-_Night! :)_

Her last message was brief, but part of her wanted to share her empathy for the two lives thing. Definitely a step too far to say anything about that though.

Her phone flashed again, and Marinette was kind of surprised to find herself momentarily disappointed that it wasn’t Chat Noir’s cutesy text speak again, instead just a pretty normal message from Alya.

_-Be ready. Tomorrow at 12pm. Operation: Secret Garden. Do you think your parents could make us some pastries? Alix, Mylène, Juleka and Rose are coming. And me, of course <3_

Marinette felt her worries about Chat slowly drift away, for a moment at least, as a smile came to her face.

-_I don’t know what you’re on about, but I think some pastries are doable!_

* * *

The pastries were indeed doable, and disappeared off the plate with the regimented synchronicity one might expect of… well, some hungry teenagers. 

Marinette placed the plate on her desk as her friends took seats on her lounge. All of them except Alya, who was busy setting up easels and diagrams around the room. Marinette felt the sting of betrayal that she had apparently been left out of some kind of stationary project, but it wasn’t upsetting enough to dull her curiosity. “What is this Special Garden thing then?”

“_Secret_ Garden!” Alya whirled around with a wink, “It’s my operation to finally get you and the love of your life t-”

“See’f tying to hook oo uh mff Agwest,” came an interruption from Alix who had her mouth full of a cinnamon roll, earning a glare from Alya but a blank blink from Marinette who did not speak mouth-full-of-food.

“She’s tying me up in the west?”

Mylène cleared her throat, small danish in hand “Alix was trying to say that Alya’s got a plan to get you dating Adrien. I’m still confused though; if you like him why don’t you just ask him?”

Marinette blushed as she met Mylène’s earnest gaze while the other girls in the room burst into laughter. 

“My-Mylène have you _seen _Marinette try to talk to Adrien about _anything_?” Alya adjusted her glasses to wipe away a tear. “She can’t even get out a sentence about what she has for lunch if he asks without messing up her words and devolving into gibberish.”

The blush on Marinette’s face only deepened until Alya brought her into a hug, “Seriously though, we love you for it, and it’s cute. Today is just a bit of fun we all came up with for you because you always organise great stuff for us. So, we want to organise a fun date for you.”

“Uh, well… OK, then…"

And so Alya laid out her battleplans.

The Rendezvous: 1500 hours at the Gardens of the Trocadero  
Mission Phases:

  1. Plucking the Nettle
  2. Flowers in the Basket
  3. Completing the Bouquet

The Target: Model Adrien Agreste, codename - Buttercup  
The Enemy: Adrien’s bodyguard, codename: Nettle  
The Payload: Designer, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, codename - Lotus  
Team leader: Journalist extraordinaire, Alya Césaire, codename - Tigerlily  
Operatives:

  * Alix Kubdel, codename - Violet
  * Mylène Haprèle, codename - Sunflower 
  * Juleka Couffaine, codename - Rose
  * Rose Lavillant, codename -Tulip

“Uuuh…" Juleka made a hesitant sound from the back.  
“_I’m_ Rose!” Piped up the blonde with the short haircut, grabbing her shy friend’s hand. “I don’t know what this plan is, but I’m confused already.”

“Okay, okay, I just thought it would be funny and ironic. But the codenames are fun, so we’re keeping them,” Alya sighed, scratching out Juleka’s key name on her board and fumbling with the little flower symbol she had made to represent her. “Juleka, you can be Iris.”

“Ooh, I love Irises!” Rose bounced on her knees as she turned around, excitedly patting Juleka’s hand.

Juleka peered out from behind her hair “Uh… Do… Do you want to swap?”

“No, no, no! It suits you!” 

Marinette stepped around to inspect the board that Alya had set up in her room, a technically perfect map of the gardens outside the Eiffel Tower that was covered in symbols and arrows. She was starting to get a grasp of the situation (and still wishing Alya had involved her in this project - Alya was good with research, but she wasn’t the best with meticulous planning. And oh gosh she loved her friend, but Marinette could have drawn those flowers so much _prettier_-) when her be-spectacled friend took control of the situation once again. 

“_AS_ I was saying! Ladies, our mission - should you choose to accept it - is to keep the Buttercup away from the Nettle and direct him to instead pick up our Payload, Lotus...”

* * *

Operatives ‘Sunflower’ and ‘Iris’ had ‘Phase One’ well underway when the real issues of the plan began to dawn on ‘The Payload’. She watched with worry at the furrowed brow of ‘The Nettle’ as he glowered at the two girls, putting together their plot easily. With Mylène awkwardly clambering onto a no-parking sign while Juleka - not exactly dressed as someone who normally snitched to the police - kept her head low, trying not to make eye contact with either Adrien’s bodyguard or her friend as she peered from behind a bellowing police officer. 

There was judgement, negative opinion being formulated in that gaze. If it was strong enough to reach Papillon, that spelt trouble.

“Eyes on the prize, _Lotus_. Buttercup is on the move. We gotta get you in position for the Phase Two pickup. Tulip, are you ready?” Marinette’s eyes glanced from Alya who was speaking into her earpiece microphone, to Adrien who beginning to head to the exit, to the bodyguard heading off, and to - oh, yep. 

_There_ was the purple butterfly she’d been dreading, heading towards the parking sign that Juleka was assisting Mylène to haul back onto a trolley.

“Marin- Lotus! You gotta get down there. Go, go, go into position!”

The frustrated and puzzled look on Alya’s face gave some hint to Marinette what her own expression must have been like - wide-eyed panic with a side of what could only be described as ‘kind of lost’. 

“GO!” With the little shove from her friend, Marinette found her legs moving of their own volition towards her position for the plan - towards her friends and the no-parking sign that was beginning to take on a purple sheen. 

_NoNoNoNoNoNoNo, this is NOT happening right now_. There was nowhere to go to transform, not with Alya watching. Marinette absently noted that Alya’s voice was screaming through her earpiece - she too had finally noticed their friends transforming. The screams were like static as Marinette desperately looked around her for options to get out of the situation without drawing suspicion. 

She tried to survey the scene as best as possible. Where was Adrien? Hopefully, he had smartly run the other way. Probably something she should be doing, given the giant two-headed monster rising above her that was bellowing, “We are Prankstera, and we will bring Paris into chaos until we have the Miraculous!”

She turned around again - Despite still yelling into her earpiece about Marinette hightailing it, Alya hadn’t moved, instead of peeking out from behind a hedge phone held up at the right angle for filming. In the other direction, she could see Théo scooping up a protesting Rose into his rickshaw, the one that was meant to transport Marinette and Adrien to Andre’s ice cream cart. 

Suddenly, a giant ‘no standing’ sign shot out of the ground next to her. Marinette felt her legs collapsing under her in obedience to the sign, and for a brief moment, she wondered - _what happens to Paris if I die here?! _

Only briefly, though, for the very next moment, she felt an arm wrap around her waist, pulling her into a firm chest and supporting her as it lifted her up, high into the air. “Princess, I know I get you weak at the knees, but we have to stop meeting like this.” 

Chat Noir’s hair blew in the wind as he continued to boost the two of them into the air. As he vaulted up onto an archway, Marinette found her legs allowing her to stand once more. Hearing the cheerful voice chased away any fears that she had held. How could she ever have worried about dying when Chat Noir was around?

“But Kitty, how would you ever get the pleasure of spending time with me?” as he let go of his waist, she tousled his hair, and found herself surprised at how luxuriously soft it was now that she was touching it without the gloves of Ladybug’s costume. She felt her smile widen, unbidden, as she withdrew. 

“True, and our time is, unfortunately - as always - too short. Please get to safety. I promise I won’t stress out this time,” Chat Noir bowed deeply and took Marinette’s hand in his, planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Marinette giggled despite herself, internally scolding her impulses with a reminder of what was going on below. “Adieu, fair Princess.”

Before he bounded off towards danger, Marinette could swear he took a second to squint at her, as if scrutinising her - measuring her up for something. But then he was gone, leaving her alone and out of sight.

“Well, Tikki - we’ll have to come around from a different way to throw off suspicion, but it seems like it’s all clear.” 

Tikki flew out of the pink purse at top speed, fired up and ready to go. “It’s so lucky Chat Noir came in right at that moment!”

Marinette nodded. “He’s the best partner I could ask for. Let’s go help him! _Transform Me!_”

* * *

“Bien Joué!” the pair smiled at each other as they completed their customary fist pound. This Akuma hadn’t been easy, but it hadn’t been the hardest either. Fighting had felt great and in-sync. If you had to ask her, Ladybug would say it had been some of their best work. It’s like things had snapped into place since Tikki had been to speak with Fu.

As Ladybug prepared to help up the two girls so she could yo-yo away, Chat Noir grabbed her shoulder. “A moment, milady?”

Ladybug glanced over at the two girls - Rose and Alya had rushed to their side. She caught vague notes of the conversation, Alya speaking over her microphone to a person who was obviously Alix, asking if she could go check the bakery for Marinette… That was somewhat of a trouble.

“Sure Chat, but only a moment. I really have to get out of here again today.”

“Alas, never enough time for me to take you out on the date you deserve,” he pouted, affecting a mock-dramatic pose with the back of his hand to his forehead. He broke character with a grin as Ladybug snorted and made a hurrying motion with her hand. “Actually, I wanted to let you know if you didn’t already that I’ve met with Master Fu. He mentioned that if something came up, something too big for us to handle alone if the other is missing or even too big for the two of us… We should tell each other of people we’ve come across who we could temporarily grant a Miraculous. He trusts us to make the decision.”

Ladybug blinked. Of course, after the spot she left him in last time, being left alone would be a concern for Chat Noir. It was frustrating that she’d been so caught up that he had come across her in civilian form twice in a row now. There was no way she could make any promises. But this… This sounded like a huge step! And only after one meeting with Fu! Whoever Chat Noir was in his off-time, he was a convincing speaker. “Oh, wow! That’s… That’s a lot, Chat.”

“Mm-hm, but I convinced him he could trust us. Certainly, I don’t know how he couldn’t trust you, milady.” That wink. He couldn’t help himself. “I already have a perfect candidate in mind. Do you remember Marinette Dupain-Cheng? You had me protect her-”

“F- From the Scribbler. Uh-huh. I remember,” Ladybug began speaking as her mind moved into overdrive. 

“Yeah, she’s m- Well I’ve run into her at least a couple of times now, and from what I can tell, she’s about as capable as you! So, I think she should be under consideration. I have a few other suggestions, but she’s my top pick.”

Ladybug completely missed Chat’s near slip-of-the-tongue as her mind raced on how she could handle this situation. Maybe she just would have to promise herself not to be caught out again. 

Thankfully, she was saved by the bell - or rather, the incessant beeping of her earrings. She began walking off as she spoke quickly, getting her words out as fast as her mouth would allow. “I’ll definitely think about it we should chat sometime gotta fly though, byyyye!”

And with that, she was off in the air, feeling flattered and absolute panic all at once.

* * *

Alya gave Marinette an earful once she finally made it home and was able to return one of the 50 missed calls. It was deserved, Marinette felt. Lord knows what she had been doing just running headlong at an Akuma without her powers. Not that Alya knew that was the issue.

“I’m sorry, Alya. And I’m sorry your plan didn’t work out. _Really_. It would have been lovely to spend time with Adrien today.”

Marinette’s mind drifted to a daydream of how things could have been if everything had actually somehow worked out - if she’d had that opportunity to ride along with Adrien in that rickshaw. They’d share an ice cream, she’d brush back his hair from his face… Would it be as soft as Chat Noir’s?

“...We can try something else another time. Better, maybe less convoluted,” Alya’s voice snapped back into Marinette’s consciousness as she shocked herself out of her own daydream, a confused blush creeping across her face. Why was she thinking about Chat Noir’s hair?

She shook her head. Back to the conversation. “Ha… Since when is ‘simple’ our thing though, right?”

They both laughed, and even with the lingering confusion at the back of her mind, Marinette found herself relaxing. 

“I’m just glad you’re safe though, OK? It was really lucky Chat Noir got there in time to save you. Don’t scare us like that again.”

“Y-yeah. I mean, I won’t. I was lucky, you’re right.” She sighed. “I’m going to get some sleep. Night, Alya.”

Alya signed off, and Marinette found herself staring down at her phone. 

Then it buzzed again.

-_did u get out OK? =(,,__꒪꒫꒪__,,)=_

Marinette stared at the message, her lips a thin, taut line. 

-_pls answer or im gonna have to go looking for u =(,,__꒪꒫꒪__,,)=_

Oh whoops, this was one she had to answer.

-_I’m OK! I’m at home. Everything’s fine :) thanks for looking out for me. Again!_

_-Great _ _✧_ _٩_ _=(ˊωˋ*)=و_ _✧_ _ don’t worry, if LB’s late again i got a plan, just have to make sure she’s ok with it. Ur gonna love it _ _ᕙ_ _=( * •̀ _ _ᗜ_ _ •́ * )=_ _ᕗ_

Of course, he would want to brag to her about it. Marinette felt like she was just about out of sighs for the day. For a lifetime, really. She couldn’t let on, though.

_-What a mystery~! I’ll be patient. Have a good night, Chat Noir._

_ \- =(*_ _･▽･_ _*)= u2, princess!_

With that, Marinette switched off her phone screen and threw it towards the bed, as if it would somehow ward off further intrusions.

“Tikki… About those plans to stop me having to lie?..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Thanks for reading, please do tell me what you think.


End file.
